Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility.

TLDR

Anger and hostility are triggered by threats to self‑esteem. The study examined how self‑esteem stability and level predict dispositional anger and hostility, hypothesizing that unstable high self‑esteem would be linked to higher anger/hostility and stable high self‑esteem to lower. Self‑esteem stability was measured by repeated global self‑esteem assessments in naturalistic contexts. The results confirmed the predicted pattern, with unstable high self‑esteem linked to higher anger and a motor component of hostility, underscoring the need to consider both stability and level of self‑esteem.

Abstract

We examined stability of self-esteem and level of self-esteem as predictors of dispositional tendencies to experience anger and hostility. We reasoned that individuals with unstable high self-esteem would report especially high tendencies to experience anger and hostility, and that individuals with stable high self-esteem would report particularly low tendencies. We expected individuals with stable and unstable low self-esteem to fall between these two extremes. These predictions were derived from an analysis of anger and hostility that emphasized the instigating role of threats to self-esteem. Stability of self-esteem was assessed through multiple assessments of global self-esteem in naturalistic settings. Results revealed the predicted pattern for the tendency to experience anger and a "motor" component of hostility. The importance of considering both stability and level of self-esteem in analyses of anger and hostility is discussed.